Boris Johnson will deliver a warning to the Kremlin that Britain is ready and able to retaliate in kind if Russia continues to use cyber-attacks to disrupt the west.

The foreign secretary will tell his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that the UK does not aim to behave in a disruptive way online, but has sufficient capability to deter potential cyber-aggressors.

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Johnson is the first UK foreign secretary to visit Russia for five years, after a period in which Moscow’s relations with the west have deteriorated.

Going into talks, Lavrov described UK-Russia relations as at a “low” while Johnson said there were increasing imports of crisps from UK to Russia, as well as 300 Bentleys “though not necessarily to employees of the foreign ministry”.

Neither side expects any major breakthrough in the strained bilateral relationship, which has not been repaired since the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006. Relations have been further impaired in recent years by Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and allegations of Russian meddling in the politics of western nations.

His comments on cyber-attacks come weeks after Theresa May used a high-profile speech last month to accuse Vladimir Putin of using cyber-espionage and disruption to sow discord in the west and warned Moscow: “We know what you are doing. And you will not succeed.”

They also follow the revelation on Wednesday that GCHQ has developed sophisticated cyber-weapons capable of crippling a hostile state.

Such discussions are likely to be met with a frosty response, however, as Russia has denied all allegations of hacking, cyber armies or other forms of meddling. Russian officials have mocked the paucity of the public evidence provided over the allegations that Russian interventions on social media had an effect on the outcome of the EU referendum in Britain.

The UK-Russia talks are the third time this year that Johnson has announced a visit to Moscow, but the previous two occasions he cancelled the trip at the last minute. In April, the trip was called off in the aftermath of the Khan Sheikhun chemical attack and subsequent US airstrikes against a Syrian government airbase.

Johnson also irritated the Russians with a newspaper interview on the eve of his visit in which he compared the country to Sparta: “closed, nasty, militaristic and antidemocratic”.

However, Johnson also wants to engage Russia on a host of international problems for which cooperation or at least coordination with Moscow are key, including issues involving Syria, Iran and North Korea.

The foreign secretary is hoping to probe Russia regarding its plans for a Syrian national dialogue congress in Sochi in February, the conference’s relationship with the UN process, and the Russian view of the end game in Syria.

After declaring their military intervention in Syria victory earlier this month, the Russians are keen to play the leading role in defining the peace, while western nations want to make sure Russia’s efforts do not undermine the UN process.

Johnson’s objectives are likely to include probing the possibility of leveraging Russia away from Iran over the future of Syria. Iran is determined to maintain a militia force within Syria, but needs the support of Damascus – and Russia – to do so.

Also on the agenda for Johnson’s visit is the issue of cooperation ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, including consular issues for travelling England fans and security issues. England will play their group games in three provincial Russian cities: Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod and Kaliningrad.

The Russians have welcomed Johnson’s visit but remain wary of the foreign secretary following the cancellation of his two prior scheduled trips, and have warned they will not allow London to cherrypick the topics of discussion.

“Picking and choosing dialogue on issues of interest for Britain, as British officials have been saying in their public statements, is inadequate ... and of little added value to us,” said Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry. Zakharova said the visit would be pointless if it was not accompanied by “real steps” aimed at improving bilateral relations.

The UK was a firm supporter of the European Union’s decision last week to roll over sanctions on Russia and continues to insist that Moscow must live up to the terms of the Minsk agreement requiring it to cease support for armed separatists in Ukraine.

Johnson will make clear to Lavrov that the UK would be responsive to a change in stance. “We have a relationship with Russia that spans over 450 years,” he said. “Our similarities and historical links far outweigh our current political disagreements. The Kremlin has positioned Russia in direct opposition to the west, but it doesn’t have to be that way.”